


Chasing Winter

by Kyarymell



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Illustrations, M/M, Persona 5 Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Reader is not a Persona user, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:27:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26064955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyarymell/pseuds/Kyarymell
Summary: Goro Akechi x GN!Reader.Akechi centric.A story that explores Akechi coming to terms with his mortality in The Royal, except he has someone to lose.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 98





	Chasing Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **READ:** Initially, this story went head-first into Royal and the angst. However, Akechi is such a complicated character that I needed to describe _exactly how the hell_ he got into a relationship in the first place. So we have to start here. Enjoy!

* * *

The first time Goro Akechi interacts with you is when you’re being harassed by thugs in Shibuya. As much as it isn’t his business to meddle with anyone not related to his Phantom Thief investigation, it would look bad for his celebrity persona to ignore someone. Stepping between you and the barkers, waving his phone and proclaiming that he’ll call the police, is enough to get them off your back.

When you thank him, he nods his head, regarding you for the first time. He notes that you’re wearing the same uniform as him, but has never seen your face before.

“You need to be more careful, getting involved with shady individuals would look bad for the school.”

He can’t help but be patronising for kicks, as everyone falls for the honeyed voice and fake smile. Turning on his heel without waiting for an answer, he figures this is the last time he will see you.

Out of sight, out of mind.

...At least, that’s what he _thought_.

You have the Detective Prince mildly surprised when you ambush him after class a week later. Lately he’s been in the spotlight, interviews piling up as interest in the Phantom Thieves continues.

Being in contact with numerous people every day, faces become a blur. He doesn’t even recognise you until you’re in his personal space.

“Goro Akechi.”

He offers a smile.

“That’s me.”

He really hopes you haven’t fallen in love with him. It would become a total inconvenience having even more people vying for his affection- although it would be amusing.

“You’re annoying. Ever since you helped me in Shibuya, people have been asking if we’re ‘together’. Tell your fans to leave me alone.”

Well. Not what he was expecting.

“I don’t see how a few rumours would inconvenience anyone.”

He’s already wasted enough time, there are stuffy people in suits to meet, errands to run for Shido... Hopefully this conversation will end soon.

“Some have been trying to follow me home. It’s becoming too much. No-one will listen to me either!”

The look on your face is of absolute contempt and there’s something about it that gets on his nerves. Before he has the chance to comment, you’re walking away.

“Please just pick someone and make it official so I can live my life in peace.”

Frowning, he’s off-put at the fact that a stranger was telling him what to do. Who do you think you are? If only you knew what he was capable of...

Then again, he’s not above a little pettiness. Something that could even have the potential to be entertaining.

You’re late to class for the first time due to oversleeping. Long hours at your part-time job are catching up to you. Thankfully, you’re in at lunch, citing your morning absence to ‘personal reasons’.

A phone is shoved in your face and you’re surrounded by excited classmates.

“Did you know about this!? Oh my gosh! Is this why you were late to class!?”

You feel a sense of dread, pressing ‘play’ on the video presented to you.

It’s Akechi, sitting in on one of those morning talk shows. You’re usually too busy on the commute to catch them.

**“...and that’s all I have to say on the Phantom Thieves. Mind if I make another announcement?”**

The cheerful host nods.

**“Apologies to all tuning in, but I’m off the market.”**

He faces the camera, offering yet another one of those fake smiles. You wondered how people fell for it after he showed his rude side to you in Shibuya.

**“What a shock! Did you hear that, folks? The Detective Prince is taken! Is this person attending the same high school as you? How did you meet?!”**

He fixes a stray hair, possibly to seem coy. You knew better.

**“Yes. It is such a privilege to be able to see them almost every day. As for your other question-“**

Akechi launches into your run-in with him a week ago. Spouting some nonsense about how the pair of you ‘hit it off instantly’, the explicit details he provides makes it clear he’s talking about no one else but you.

He was confirming the rumours on _purpose_.

Hand over your mouth and mortified, you’re glad that he didn’t mention you by name.

**“Anything else you would like to add?”**

**“I hear that some eager fans are invading my sweetheart’s private life. Serious harassment is a crime and I would prefer not to get the police involved.”**

The host gasps in theatrics. You’re trying not to cringe at the use of ‘sweetheart’.

**“Better watch out! That’s all we have time for today, and-“**

The video stops and your classmates are looking back, eager. What to do? It’s impossible to deny everything and run at this point due to the public broadcast.

If this was the game he wanted to play, then so be it.

“You guys caught me. We’ve been dating for a while now.”

Akechi is beside himself with laughter, thinking about your annoyed, scrunched up face. His blog is more popular than ever and there are even some posts on the Phan-site about his sham announcement.

`thieves, pls make akechi single!!`

  
`sad he’s taken... steal my heart`

  
`we need to get their name, lol`

  
`ya’ll still thirsty over some celeb?`

Shido called him immediately after the morning interview, concerned about ‘distractions’ from the mission. Making it clear that it was just to fool the masses, a means to an end, he hangs up in irritation.

Clicking his tongue, Akechi feels like he’s at least earned the right to do as he pleases. The old man should be _begging_ him not to expose all the secrets he’s learned of over the years. Clenching his fist, he tries to calm himself.

_‘I just need to be patient. Get him into power and then ruin him.’_

Taking a deep breath, he focuses on how amusing it would be if you backed down from the public announcement. No-one would listen to you anyway if you tried to deny it all.

The reality is worse than he imagined.

Your mission to annoy Goro Akechi proves to be a good distraction from your demoralising part-time job. The Detective Prince probably thought he was backing you into a corner by announcing your ‘relationship’, but you would show him otherwise.

Making the first move, you suggested being seen together in public. The surprise on his face was worth the stares and whispers you had to deal with. You could tell he didn’t want to lose, agreeing with you and exchanging numbers.

At first it was small things like sending disgustingly cute texts at random times of the day. He’d retaliate by texting back things equally nauseating and you start to doubt the things the magazines say about him being 'cool' and 'manly'.

Unexpectedly, the two of you fall into a rhythm: making time for ‘dates’ during the week in order to embarrass each other as much as possible. A sensation sweeps up during summer break, couples wanting to visit the same spots as the celebrity and his ‘sweetheart’. You were really hoping your presence tanked his reputation.

Somehow, it didn’t.

You start becoming bold to test his patience, such as stealing sips from his drink or taking a bite out of something he’s ordered for himself. Eventually, he starts ordering things that he knows you dislike to prevent you from invading his personal space all the time.

Huh.

You’re starting to wonder when Akechi became familiar enough to know your preferences and vice versa. Surprisingly, his warning on TV helped you a lot: people didn’t go around snooping for your home address anymore. Sometimes, the idea of thanking him crosses your mind, but the air of smugness that follows him overshadows your gratitude.

(Such a petty reason, but you can’t help it).

Over time, he becomes less ‘Pretentious Detective’ and more ‘someone you spend a lot of time with’. It’s enough for you to realise how out of touch he can be. Sometimes, the topics he brings up in conversation are stiff- as if he’s talking to adults instead of someone his age.

Whenever it’s his turn to pick a ‘date’, Akechi makes a show of taking you to popular spots or somewhere he’s done a food review for. It makes for a good conversation piece, but it seems like he’s going through the motions.

Sure, your pride made you play along at the start, but time spent together makes you concerned for his well-being. Some days he’ll meet you bleary-eyed like he’s sleep deprived or his shoulders are tense in alertness.

Is there a place he truly wants to go to? Somewhere he can genuinely enjoy himself? What’s keeping him up at night that makes him look so haunted?

Questions like those become more frequent, to your dismay. It was never your intention to care so much.

No matter what, he keeps to his schedule- always meeting up with you when he says he will.

The brunet wakes to something cold against his forehead.

When did he...?

Right. He was in Suidobashi riding the rollercoaster, then he staggered over to a bench-

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you too hard.”

You interrupt his thoughts with an apology. It’s the first time you’ve ever apologised since engaging in this game with him.

The game...

Akechi loathes to admit, but recently he’s been _enjoying_ his time with you. At the start, he wanted only your submission, to prove that he was superior. It was an experiment of sorts- seeing your reactions and how far you could be pushed.

When you became a constant, it was a distraction from his hatred and revenge. The playfulness, the intent to get under his skin for nothing other than amusement feels sincere, despite his paranoia telling him otherwise.

Somewhere along the line, the maliciousness behind both your actions disappeared completely. He can’t bring himself to hate you despite your attempts to sabotage his popularity. In fact, he admires you somewhat for being to keep up with him.

It wigged him out, all the times you brazenly invaded his personal space. Holding onto his arm painfully long (especially when there were cameras watching) and taking portions out of his food and drink whenever it pleased you...

You don’t do it as often now and while he’s relieved, he does feel a little lonely- not that he would ever say so.

The normalcy your presence brings is addicting, something that he’s been chasing after all his life. There’s no catch or price to being in your company and conversation ranges from complicated to simplistic, as if engaging a friend.

(Almost like his interactions with Amamiya).

Don’t get him wrong, he can’t trust you completely, but the dynamic you bring makes him feel like his age in contrast to the adults that fear and loathe him.

Feeling gentle fingers brush against his forehead, he tenses up, ready to defend himself.

Touching!? Who’s touching him? **No-one-**

When he realises it’s just you, he wills himself to calm down. He sure was dissociating for a while.

“What are you doing?”

“Eek!”

The way you withdraw as if burned amuses him so much that a chuckle escapes before he’s able to stop.

“Um. You were quiet. I was worried.”

Sighing, Akechi shifts so he’s resting in your lap. The drink you were holding clatters to the ground. He doesn’t move, preventing you from picking it up.

He’s been working long hours, cleaning up messes in the Meta-verse and pretending he’s all smiles. Exhaustion seems to have caught up with him.

“You may continue.”

“Um. Okay.”

You go back to stroking his hair and he relaxes into your touch gradually. Making up his mind, he’s decided to blame this momentary weakness on the summer heat.

Rolling your shoulder, you sighed in frustration as you carried a heavy box full of files. You’ve been an intern for months now, assigned to some self-righteous diplomat. When you signed up, you were hoping to add credit to your university recommendation.

What you got was a dehumanising experience that you felt completely trapped in.

Staying in after-hours correcting rubbish and nonsensical documents, brewing coffee, fetching snacks, writing notes on meetings he failed to attend, re-arranging schedules, answering calls...

He didn’t even bother to learn your name, referring to you exclusively as ‘intern’.

Sometimes you’d tell yourself that it wasn’t worth it, you’d leave, but in the end you’d endure, believing this sort of treatment was the norm.

“Need those files yesterday!”

“Yes, sir...”

You have no idea what possessed him to use such an archaic sorting system. It was inefficient and slowed the work day by thirty percent. You can’t catch a break and you’re not even able to get your hands on a staple remover.

You don’t remember any of these extra tasks in the job description. Was it even legal for a high-schooler to do all this stuff?

Just another month...

Just another...

Your phone buzzes.

`It seems as though there are a lot of people with free time.`

It’s from Akechi, who you haven’t seen in a while. The last time was the aquarium, which was a welcome reprieve from the summer heat.

_“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go swimming, Akechi.”_

_“I am far too busy. Besides, why would I leave myself vulnerable like that?”_

_“What? That’s a weird thing to say,” you laughed, “do you sunburn easily?”_

_He smiles._

_“Wouldn’t you like to know?”_

_You’re not entirely certain, but you think his tone implied ‘stick around and find out.’_

Something had _changed_ after the Suidobashi date, if his less harsh demeanour was any indication.

After the Phantom Thieves defeated Medjed, he was a popular target for online trolls. The justice system was scrambling to find more information, keeping the high-school detective busy.

`Hang in there!`

Akechi’s interviews you’re able to catch have him mostly saving face. You admire the fact that he’s kept to his stance that the Thieves were criminals.

You tried to keep out of the whole Phantom Thief thing, having a neutral stance on it all, but now there was undeniable evidence that they existed. Would they help you if you reached out to them? Would that be too selfish?

Time and time again you saw the diplomat make his subordinates reach in their pockets to pay for some of his medical needs. He also had a habit of sleeping on the job. Such a disgrace of a person, you joked to your friends many times that it probably took a _conspiracy_ to have his position and keep it.

`I have free time tomorrow evening. How about Kichijoji?`

Without warning, your heart begins to race. You chalked it up to not having any excitement in this soulless job. After confirming the time, you agreed to meet.

Walking back to your ‘boss’ as it were, you found him asleep. Sighing heavily, you tapped him on the shoulder. What you didn’t expect was an iron grip on your wrist, hard enough to bruise. Yelling in pain, you tried to remove yourself from his grip.

“Have you finally come for me, you fuckin’ bastar-“

He straightens himself, releasing you when he realises where he is.

“Hmph. What do you think you’re doing?”

“I... it’s nearly finishing time.”

Shaken, you could only watch as he shoved a few files in his briefcase with barely even a glance in your direction. You wanted to yell or scream at him for hurting you, but knew it was a lost cause.

It was clear a higher power had been preventing him from taking responsibility for all the things he’s done to his subordinates and you were stuck needing to get that recommendation. Pressing lightly on the spot, you hissed.

Conscious of the weather, you wear something light when you meet up with Akechi. The streets of Kichijoji are busy, high-schoolers hanging out on break and couples enjoying time together on a Friday night. Akechi looks tired, dark circles haphazardly covered with concealer and downturned shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

He blinks once, twice. You half expect him to give you yet another false smile and brush off the question. Instead, he surprises you by leaning a little closer to you.

“I’m tired. Have you seen the news? The Phantom Thieves have gone international and I’m having to deal with interviews, case files and ridicule.”

You notice the briefcase in his hand, a sign that he just got off work. Would you even see him next semester? It’s a wonder how he’s lasted this long with the erratic schedule he has.

“I have been seeing the news. Can’t really avoid that sort of thing.”

“Then,” he yawns, quickly covering his mouth, “you know.”

This display of vulnerability comes as a surprise, but you’re trying not to let it show on your face. He’s always presented himself as someone unreachable, without fault, as if there was a supernatural air hanging over him. Seeing Akechi like this makes him a little more human.

Turning away from him, you change the subject.

“In that case, let’s enjoy the time we have together. I know you always take me to places that are popular, but is there someplace you really want to visit in Kichijoji?”

“Well, actually-“

**“Hey! Is that Goro Akechi? The Detective Prince?”**

He’s interrupted by a group of people on the street.

**“No way! It is him!”**

**“Bet you don’t feel so high and mighty about your opinion on the Phantom Thieves!”**

**“Yeah, they kicked Medjed’s ass! They’re definitely on the side of justice!”**

**“Wait, is that his sweetheart?”**

You’re starting to have mixed feelings about people calling you the detective’s ‘sweetheart’. It’s a nickname that has been stuck to you for so long, but it began as a source of ridicule.

 _‘Well, it’s better than everyone knowing your name.’_ you thought idly.

More people gather around with their phones, excited to see a celebrity. Because of your proximity to Akechi, you can see his right eye twitching in annoyance. His perfect demeanour was cracking, an indicator of how tired he was.

“Sorry, he can’t answer you because he’s on a date with me right now!” you exclaimed, taking Akechi’s hand in yours. He’s surprised, whipping around to face you with wide eyes.

Despite your cheeks growing hot in embarrassment, your outburst has the intended effect: some of the people crowding the street stepped back in shock. Finding your opening, you drag Akechi along.

“Let’s get out of here!”

Wordlessly he follows, as you pull him down an alleyway. Spotting a jazz club leading downstairs, you figured it was the best spot to hide. There’s no way people would be persistent enough to follow you both down.

There’s a few moments of quiet, save for the smooth voice of the jazz singer present. Counting the seconds, you were relieved that nobody followed. Scanning your surroundings you spotted low lights, various artworks on the walls… it’s a cosy and intimate spot. Catching your breath, you weren’t entirely sure if this place was for high-schoolers, though.

“Um, Akechi. Sorry about-“

His eyes are twinkling with genuine amusement as he laughs. The club owner looks over at the pair of you in interest, but that’s not your concern.

Your concern is how your chest feels tight, independent of the exertion that just occurred.

**Oh no.**

“Before our conversation was rudely interrupted, you asked if there was somewhere I wanted to visit. This is it. A coincidence indeed.”

With a few words to the owner, Akechi leads you to one of the empty tables.

Vaguely, you realise that he hasn’t let go of your hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The diplomat is based upon my friend's trash father who did everything described, lol.


End file.
